Process of manufacturing shoes.



M. HILGERT.

- PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1914.

1,1 20,489. Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WTA/SS'ESI zgq M. HILGERT.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING SHOES. APPLICATION FILED mm: B, 1914.

1 1 20,48 9. Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

2 SHEETBSHEET 2.

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{7 fivvavrb 5W 4% MATHEW HILGERT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING SHOES.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

Application filed June a, 1914.' Serial No. 843,727.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MATHEW HILGERT, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county,

and State of New York, have invented cerlike parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to boots and shoes and more particularly to an improved process of manufacturing boots and shoes.

The purchaser of a pair of standard or ready-made shoes usually finds, when he first puts the shoes on, that they cause him more or less discomfort and that it is necessary to wear them for a time, sometimes for the greater part of their life, before they really" become comfortable. This difficulty undoubtedly is often due, in some degree, to the failure of the shoe salesman to make the proper selection of style and size of shoe suited to the requirements of the purchasers= foot; but it is also due'in a large measure to the fact that ready-made shoes conform only approximately to the anatomical structure of the foot and, consequently, must be reshaped by the foot in order to produce that conformity essential to comfort. Until this reshaping process has beencompleted the pressure which should be distributed over a large part ofthe. foot is concentrated on relatively small portions of the foot and this unnatural distribution of pressure is responsible for many of the more common foot ills, such as corns, calli and enlarged joints. It also produces an unbalanced muscular condition of the foot nd a disturbance of the circulation of the blood through the foot which, in turn, cause additional foot maladies.

While it is possible to manufacture shoes which are not 0 en to the objections 'just described, such oes are, so far as I am aware, made entirely by methods that are suited only to hand or custom work where attention can be given to the peculiaritiesof each I individual foot. Consequently, such shoes aremade only on a very small scale, usually by orthopedic specialists, and the expense of manufacture of such shoes places them beyond the reach of the great majority of people. It has never been considered practicable, so far as I am advised, to adapt these methods to the requirements of modern shoe factory practice in which shoes must be manufactured in large quantities by machinery. J

The present invention has for its chief object to devise a process by which shoes, which will fit the feet more accurately and be more comfortable than the ready-made shoes heretofore produced, can be manufactured at a moderate cost; and to devise a process of this character which can be practised on a largescale and with the use of modern shoe malnng machinery.

A convenient. way of carrying out my improved process will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a form which preferably is used in practising this process; Fig. 2 is an angular view showing the bottom of the form illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an angular view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a filler secured on the bottom of the form; Fig. 4 is an angular view of the filler illustrated in Fig. 3, but showing the filler in an incomplete state; Fig. 5 is an angular view of the bottom of the filler shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the last on which the shoe is made; Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a shoe made 'on the last shown in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a complete shoe with the filler positioned therein.

In practising this to make a foot-shape form or last similar to an ordinary last but having its bottom.

face shaped to conform to the more prominent promotions and depressions of the foot. Such a form is shown at 2 in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings,- from which it will be seen that the form has substantially the lateral, instep and upper surfaces of a last made for a substantially normal foot,.but the (process I prefer first bottom face includes a well rounded heel 4,

an arch surface 6 deeper than that usual in the ordinary last but substantially like that of a normal foot, and a forepart surface the joint of the great toe.

nearly flat but with a slightly rounded por tion or protuberance at 8 corresponding to The exteht to which the detailed duplication of" the fear tures of the bottom of the foot are carried outcan be varied as circumstances require; but ordinarlly, inmakmg a form of azgiven size, only the more prominent features of the foot, which will not vary to any great degree in the majority of feet of the same size, will be reproduced in the form; This form, therefore, is made of the dimensions and shape required to construct a shoe for a substantially normal foot of a given size, but differs from the usual last of the same size and style in its bottom contour. v A filler 1s next made to fit the bottom of the form 2. This filler is indicated at 10 in the drawings and is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in an incomplete statefor the purpose of illustrating more clearly its construction. A

number of methods of making this filler will suggest themselves to those skilled in this art, but onevvery satisfactory method consists in dieing 'out a piece of leather 12 of the shape required to fit the bottom of the form 2, tempering it and then securing it.

' will be readily understood by those familiar I filler will fit the foot. The lower surface of with such machines. According to this method, the filler is made on the bottom of K the formv and the parts 14 and 16 are shaped to give to the upper surface of the filler a contour conformin to that of the bottom of the form. Since -t s contour is a duplica-' tion of the more important features of the. bottom of the foot, the upper surface of the the filler, however, may be given any desired shape, but preferabl'y'is sha ed'like the bottom of an ordinary, last. f the lower surface of the filler is rough or uneven it may be scoured to level it up. Inasmuch as most feet have a" slight outside roll 'or a'ten- 9.; where the jointof the little toe will bear on dency to bear too heavily on the outer edge of the foot, I prefer to make the outer edge of the filler 10 of greateraverage thickness than the inner edge. This result is accom-.

plished in the filler shown by shaping the felt member 16', as shown in it is somewhat thlcker on the outside portion it than on the inside under. the great toe joint. This filler or a duplicate of it will be 1159113111 the shoe and, accordingly, thetop andhbttom surfaces of the filler'are .n'ext Fig. 5, so that preferably covered with cloth although for the upper surface a covering of leather, such as glazed .kid, sometimes is preferred since tially permanent shape, is made of material that might yield sufliciently under the pressure of the model wheel of the last turning lathe to prevent the lathe from making an exact reproduction of the model, I. prefer to reinforce the filler. This may conveniently be done by soaking the filler in some hot liquid composition that becomes firm and solid when cooled to ordinary temperatures.

I find that a very satisfactory con 1position for this purpose can be obtained by mixing 81%; per cent. of Malayan gum with 12% per cent. of ozocerite and 6% percent. of Montan Wax. This composition may be easily melted and the filler, when soaked in it and .allowed to cool, will be found tobe practically as firm as a piece of wood. This method of reinforcin the filler has the further advantage that 1t does not change the dimensions of the filler and, cbnsequently, does not modify the form or dimensions of the model. The filler made for the purpose of making the model from which to turn the last may, if desired, be made of leather,

fiber, or some material that is sufficiently v firm and unyielding to require no reinforcement, but still can be given the required shape. 'The last produced in the manner just described is indicated at 18, Fig. 6.

3 A shoe 20 next is made on the last 18 in exactly the same manner that a shoe is made on .any last. After the shoe has been completed and the last 18 has been withdrawn, a duplicate of the filler 10 is inserted inthe shoe, as indicated in Fig. 8. It will now be evident that, since the last 18 on whichthis shoe was made, was itself made from the form 2 with the'filler 10 secured thereto, the inside tread ofthe shoe will fit accurately the bottom face of the filler 10. The upper surface of this filler, as previously stated, accurately fits the foot and, since the last 18 is equivalent in dimensions to-the form 2 plus the filler 10, there will be ample room in the shoe, after the filler has been inserted form 2 was originally made. Accordingly,

when a purchaser, having a substantially normal foot of the size for which the form 2 was made, puts on the finished {shoe he willf find that the surface of the 'fillerwill fit his foot much more accurately than does the forepart will support comfortably the bottom of the forepart of the foot, particuuarly if this part of the filler is built up of felt or other yielding material, as aboye described. At the same time the filler will correct the slight outside roll that nearly all feet, even those considered normal, have. The pressure caused by the weight of the body thus will be distributed uniformly over those parts of the foot that are designed to sustain this pressure, I the foot will be maintained, and the normal circulation of the blood will be restored.

This process requires no change in the "usual factory methods of making shoes after the lastl8 has been made. The fillers may be made in a separate factory and inserted in the shoes after they reach -the packing room. V

The shoe produced by this process aflords unusual facility in fitting a foot accurately. The shoe salesman, before trying on the shoe, can remove the filler 10 from the shoe, try it on the foot of the prospective purchaser and judge with much greater accuracy than otherwise would. be possible Whether the particular style and size of shoe that he has selected will fit the purchasers foot correctly. It also enables the salesman to modify the shoe in certain minor particulars that greatly contribute .to the wearers comfort. If, for instance,.the salesman finds that a customer has a corn or tender spot on the bottom of his foot, he

can remove the filler from the shoe, determine by applying it to the bottom of the purchasers foot exactly what part should be modified, and then by ripping off .the bottom covering he can scour or cut away a portion of the bottom of the filler sufficient to relieve the pressure on the corn or tender part. The covering can then be cemented back in place and the filler placed in its operative position in the shoe. Such corns or tender spots are particularly likely to be found under the joints of the little orgreat toes. The pressure of the upper on the toes or toe joints can olso berelieved by cutting away the filler under the tight portion. If, for any reason, as for instance Where an unusual outside roll is encountered, treatment opposite to that just described is required, the salesman can cement on to the filler a piece of leather, felt or other material of the required dimensions to correct the difficulty.

It is obvious that, after the last 18 has once been obtained, it is then unnecessary to repeat the process above described in order to obtain other lasts, since the last 18 ers by the method a the correct balance of 1 readily understood by those skilled in this art. It is also unnecessary to make a complete form 2 for the urpose of making filll iove described, but instead of this form, a form having merely the bottom contour and dimensions of the 'form 2 may be used but without the lateral and upper surfaces, and this form maybe made of any convenient material. It is essential,-however, that thebottom face of the filler shall fit the inside tread of'the shoe, that its upper face shall fit the more prominent projections and depressions of the bottom of the foot, and that the last on which the shoe is made shall be equivalent in dimensions to a last made for said foot with its bottom face shaped to conform to the bottom of said foot plus said filler secured upon its bottom face. If desired, the part 12 of the filler 10 can be molded to the required shape and the filler made without using the form 2; or the filler can be molded from suitable material by a pair of molds, one having the contour and dimensions of the bottom of the form 2,and the other,the contour and dimensions of the bottom of the last 18.

The novel .last described herein is not claimed in this application, bein claimed in my application Ser. No. 843, 26, filed ters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in the art of manufacturing shoes which consists in. providing a filler having an upper face shaped to fit the more prominent projections and depressions of the bottom of a foot and an outer face like the bottom of an ordinary 'last, providing a last of the usual construction -'but equivalent in dimensions to a last made for said foot but having its bottom face shaped to conform to the bottom of said foot and having said filler secured upon its bottom face, said last having its bottom face sufliciently rigid to withstand the operations of a leveling machine, making a shoe in the usual manner on the first mentioned last, and then inserting in said shoe, after the last has been withdrawn, the filler above mentioned or a substantial duplicate thereof.

2. The method which consists in making a form shaped substantially like the human foot with its bottom face conforming substantially to the contour of the bottom of a substantially normal foot, making a filler having its upper surface shaped to 13 'fitthe' bottom of said .form and hating its bottom face shaped substantially like the bottom of an ord1nary last, securing said filler to said form, making a last in the i} usuaL manner by using; as a model said machine, and then making upon said last a 81166 which; with a duplicate of saidfiller 1o inserted, Will fit said form.

In testimonx whereof I have signed my name to this specifiation in the'presence of two slibscriblng Witnesses.

. v MATHEW HILGERT.

'Witnesses:

I 'JOHN H. MboREADY,

WILLIAM B; KING. 

